1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to line trimming devices and more particularly, to a guard and a dolly for receiving and mounting a line trimming device or apparatus and mowing, edging and trimming a lawn. The guard of this invention includes a shaped debris-deflection device having a tab-and-slot opening for receiving and mounting a corresponding coupling flange attached to the line trimming apparatus motor in a free-hand trimming configuration. In a second embodiment of the invention a universal dolly is broadly characterized by a dolly frame shaped and adapted for receiving a gasoline-powered or electric line trimmer for various lawn mowing, trimming and edging functions. The dolly is characterized by a frame base and plate having front, side and rear wheel receptacles for selectively receiving brackets which rotatably mount the wheels. In a first application of the dolly, three wheels are attached by means of the brackets to the side and the center rear wheel receptacle locations for supporting the dolly frame and line trimmer in rolling relationship in a horizontal plane for operation of the line trimmer in a mowing configuration. In a second application, the wheels in the side wheel receptacles are rearranged in the outside rear wheel receptacles to support the dolly frame and line trimmer in a horizontal plane for operation of the line trimmer in a trimming configuration. In yet another application of the dolly the wheels are attached to the front wheel receptacles only, to support the dolly frame and line trimmer in a vertical plane for operation of the line trimmer in an edging configuration. Accordingly, the line trimmer can be attached to a guard without wheels for use as a free-hand trimmer, as well as a universal dolly for disposition in mowing, trimming and edging configurations. In both of the embodiments, the line trimming apparatus is fitted with a motor coupling flange that engages a corresponding tab-and-slot opening in the guard and dolly frame, respectively, to removably mount the line trimming device on the free-hand trimmer and universal dolly, respectively.
One of the problems which exists in the use of conventional electric and gasoline-powered lawn mowers is that of cutting grass to a uniform height on lawns characterized by uneven terrain. Since the spacing between the front and rear wheels of a conventional lawn mower typically ranges from about 18 inches to about 30 inches, depending upon the lawn mower design, grass which is cut from the top of small hummocks and hills, as well as on other uneven terrain, is frequently shorter than that cut on level terrain or in small valleys. This problem is not alleviated by cutting the grass in a direction perpendicular to the normal direction of mower travel, since the span of the wheels ranges from about 18 inches to about 24 inches and this distance mandates cutting the grass either higher or shorter than desired, depending upon the nature of the terrain traversed by the mower.
Conventional line trimmers such as the line trimmer marketed under the well known xe2x80x9cWeed Eaterxe2x80x9d trademark, are frequently used to trim grass in inaccessible areas where lawn mowers cannot be operated or in hilly or irregular areas where the terrain will not permit a lawn mower to cut the grass at a uniform height. However, since line trimmers are held by hand, cutting of the grass to a uniform height in such areas is extremely difficult and frequently results in xe2x80x9cscalpingxe2x80x9d of the lawn or cutting and trimming the grass unevenly in these areas.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Line edgers and trimmers have long been known and used for trimming and edging lawns and other grassy and weed-infested areas. Typical of these devices are the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,047,299, and 3,859,776. Accessory devices are also used in connection with xe2x80x9cedgersxe2x80x9d and line trimmers and typical of these devices is the attachment described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,587,749, dated Jun. 28, 1971, to Gerald P. Sauer, entitled xe2x80x9cA Lawn Edger Attachment For A Power Sawxe2x80x9d. In this patent the saw blade of an electric power saw is replaced with a two-side ground cutter blade and the power saw is attached to and carried by a wheeled carrier. A shoe on the power saw is attached to a base plate of the carrier and the shoe and cutter blade are adjustable relative to each other, in order to adjust the blade cutting height. A pivotally-mounted handle, by which the carrier may be pushed, carries a switch for stopping and starting the electric motor which drives the saw. The carrier base plate is supported on three wheels for ease of turning and maneuvering. An xe2x80x9cAttachment For Line Trimmerxe2x80x9d is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,784, dated Sept. 30, 1980, to Lee A. Hansen. This device is designed to convert a line trimmer to an edge trimmer and includes a collar with support legs attached thereto and wheels attached to the support legs. A U-shaped brace extends between the support legs, in order to hold the support legs at an angle with respect to each other. The collar is placed loosely around the handle of an existing line trimmer and the line trimmer is inverted, in order to present the spool thereof perpendicular to the ground. The legs are inserted into the collar and the collar is then secured to the handle, with the head of the line trimmer located between the ends of the U-shaped brace. U.S. Pat. No. 4,312,178, dated Jan. 26, 1982, to Allie Callaghan, details a xe2x80x9cLawn Edging Machinexe2x80x9d. The patent discloses a balanced, self-propelled and manually guided lawn edge in which an edging cutter blade is positioned near the inner side and rearwardly of the larger of two traction wheels of unequal diameter, mounted on a common drive axle. The smaller traction wheel can be axially adjusted relative to the larger wheel to regulate the angle of cut adjacent to a side wall or a curbing. A xe2x80x9cDolly For Lawn Trimmer and Combination Thereofxe2x80x9d is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,659, dated Apr. 17, 1984, to H. J. Enbusk. The patent details a trimmer supported on a dolly, each of which trimmer and dolly is provided with a handle. The operator holds the dolly handle in one hand and the trimmer handle in the other hand and the trimmer is pivotally connected to the dolly, whereby movement of the handle of the trimmer relative to the dolly handle changes the approach angle of the trimmer relative to the movement of the dolly. The pivoted connection is positioned forward of the dolly wheels, whereby raising and lowering the dolly handle effects lowering and raising of the trimmer and the corresponding depth of cut. The pivoted connection includes adjustment means to adjust the positions of the trimmer relative to the dolly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,680, dated May 8, 1984, to Thomas C. D""Alessandro, details a xe2x80x9cBattery Powered Lawn Edgerxe2x80x9d. The device includes a frame supported on at least three wheels, which frame securely carries one or more rechargeable wet-cell batteries, as well as a pivotally-mounted sub-assembly having a heavy duty, series-wound drive motor, a rigid edger blade mounted on the drive motor output shaft and a blade guard. Re-charging may be accomplished by interconnection to a conventional automotive charging system, a battery charger or to a 115-volt power source. The blade is positioned to rotate in a plane generally perpendicular to the ground and a blade-positioning lever is pivotally attached to the main guide handle for vertical adjustment of the blade. A drive motor on-off switch attachable to the handle is also provided and a removable cover may be provided for protecting the battery energizers. One or more of the wheels may also include drive means for locomotion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,544, dated Aug. 7, 1984, to Anthony Carsello, et al, details an xe2x80x9cEdgerxe2x80x9d. The edger is provided with a rotatable cutting blade for trimming grass, weeds and the like. The cutting blade is driven by a motor mounted within a motor housing which is, in turn, supported for rotation about a longitudinal axis between a front wheel assembly and a rear wheel assembly. A locking mechanism is carried by the motor housing and is provided with a pair of spring-biased lugs normally received into locking recesses in the front and rear wheel assemblies to lock the motor housing into a selected rotational position and thereby lock the cutting blade at a selected angular orientation. My U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,415, dated Jan. 10, 1989, describes a xe2x80x9cDolly For Line Trimming Apparatusxe2x80x9d characterized by a split frame provided with removable front and rear legs and removable side legs for selectively receiving wheels and supporting the dolly in rolling relationship on a lawn, driveway or sidewalk. The frame receives a line trimming apparatus and maintains the rotating spool of the apparatus in a selected orientation with respect to the ground, in order to cut the grass at a selected height above the ground regardless of the contour of the terrain, trim grass adjacent to a structure and edge along fixed structures. Other patents detailing various mowing and trimming configurations include U.S. Pat. No. 2,608,043, issued Aug. 26, 1952, to G. D. Berdan; U.S. Pat. No. 2,721,433, dated Oct. 25, 1955, also to Berdan; U.S. Pat. No. 2,942,397, dated Jun. 28, 1960, to Clark; U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,100, dated Jan. 8, 1980, to Letter; U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,800, dated May 13, 1986, to Jimenez; U.S. Pat. No. 4, 922,694, dated May 8, 1990, to Emoto; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,701, dated May 10, 1994, to McGuerty.
An object of this invention is to provide a free-hand line trimming apparatus characterized by a guard having a tab-and-slot opening and a line trimming apparatus with a coupling flange provided thereon for engaging the tab-and-slot opening and coupling the apparatus to the guard.
Another object of this invention to provide a new and improved dolly for a line trimming apparatus, which dolly is characterized by a frame for removably receiving the motor, body or housing of a line trimmer and having square or star-shaped wheel-carrying front, rear and side receptacles for adapting the line trimmer to edge, trim and mow grass and cut weeds.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a universal dolly for receiving and adapting a line trimming apparatus to edge, mow and trim grass and weeds, which universal dolly includes a typically metal or plastic dolly frame for removably receiving the frame, body or motor housing of a line trimming apparatus and wheel mount brackets fitted with wheels, selectively positioned on the dolly frame for converting the dolly into trimming, mowing and edging configurations, respectively.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a universal dolly for receiving and mounting a gasoline or an electric-powered line trimming apparatus, which dolly is characterized by removable wheels selectively arranged on the dolly by means of L-shaped wheel brackets, wherein the line trimming apparatus can be utilized to mow, edge or trim a lawn or yard by rearranging the wheel location and operation of the line trimming apparatus.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a dolly for receiving and mounting an electrically-operated line trimmer by means of a tab-and-slot coupling mechanism and a sliding collar, which dolly includes removable front, side and rear wheels selectively arranged on the dolly to facilitate various configurations of the dolly and operation of the line trimmer and the dolly to mow, trim and edge a lawn.
Another object of this invention is to provide a dolly which is characterized by a shaped, typically metal or plastic frame, having frame receptacles and at least two wheels rotatably mounted on the frame receptacles at selected locations, which frame is further provided with a tab-and-slot or bayonet-type opening adapted to receive and mount a line trimmer having a correspondingly-shaped coupling flange, for mowing, trimming and edging a lawn or yard by rotation of the wheels and operation of the selectively-configured dolly and line trimmer.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a universal dolly which is characterized by a typically fiberglass, plastic or metal frame and either three wheels or a pair of wheels positioned at selected receptacle locations on the frame, which frame is also fitted with a slotted opening adapted to receive a tabbed motor coupling flange on a line trimmer, such that the line trimmer and dolly cooperate to facilitate edging, mowing and trimming a lawn or yard.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved universal dolly having a dolly frame with a bayonet or tab-and-slot opening for removably receiving the coupling flange of a gasoline powered or electric line trimmer, along with a spring-loaded collar for engaging the line trimmer handle and facilitating arrangement of two or three wheels on the dolly frame, such that the line trimmer can be oriented into various configurations for mowing, edging and trimming a lawn or yard by changing the wheel configurations.
These and other objects of the invention are provided in a free-hand line trimming apparatus having a tab and slot locking flange for engaging a correspondingly-shaped tab and slot opening in a guard and removably locking the guard on the line trimming apparatus. In a second embodiment, a wheeled dolly having a shaped frame provided with front, side and rear wheel receptacles and a lock-and-tab type opening, which opening is adapted to receive the like-shaped coupling flange of an electric or gasoline-powered line trimmer and two or three wheels are selectively oriented to mow, edge or trim a lawn by arranging the positions of the wheels on brackets fitted in the frame wheel receptacles. The dolly frame mounts two wheels in first and second configurations and three wheels in a third configuration, for receiving the line trimmer and orienting the line trimmer in functional position to edge, trim and mow a lawn, respectively.